Appendix A.4 Menu Survey Initial Letter

OMB Control No: 0584-0606

Expiration Date: 03/31/2019

Appendix A-4. Menu Survey Initial Letter

Dear [Sponsor/Site supervisor]¹

Thank you for participating in the Summer Meals Study. Westat is conducting this study on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to understand the characteristics of summer food service programs, to examine program operations, to identify factors affecting sponsors, sites, and children’s participation in the program, and to assess the food group and nutrient content of summer meals and snacks.

We are collecting information required to assess the food group and nutrient content of summer meals and snacks. We are sending this menu survey to you because you are the staff member responsible for planning the menus for [NAME OF SITE], and are the most knowledgeable about foods and beverages offered.

To complete the menu survey:

1. Click this link: https://www.summermealsstudy.com to complete a 15 minute survey about menu planning activities.

2. Send us the menu of all foods and beverages offered as well as all recipes used for [NAME OF SITE] for the weeks of [FIRST WEEK SELECTED] and [SECOND WEEK SELECTED]

   • Send us the list of foods and beverages offered along with any recipes used immediately following each selected week.

   • We need to know details like whether or not the bread was whole grain and the apples were whole or sliced. See the FAQ section below for more information about the details needed for the foods and beverages served.

   • We will send you an email at the end of each week with this request; you may reply to our email and attach the menus and recipes used at your site, upload them to a secure FTP site, fax or drop them in the mail.

3. Send additional details when requested:

   • We will review your menus and recipes and then send you a request for any needed details about the foods and beverages served in the Menu Survey Follow-up Report

   • You may return the form to us by email, upload to the secure FTP site, fax or mail, or you may request that we contact you by telephone to obtain the information.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the SFSP-NS?

   • Summer Food Service Program Nutrition Study

   • The Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture is conducting a study to understand who attends the Summer Food Service Program and why. The survey includes questions on characteristics of your sponsoring organization; characteristics of selected site(s) you sponsor and the meals/snacks served; and menu planning practices.

2. What is a menu?

   • A menu lists the foods and beverages you serve to participating children at [NAME OF SITE] at each meal (breakfast, lunch, supper, or snacks).

   • Weekly menus list the foods and beverages served to participating children at the site for each day of the week.

   • Be sure that the menu includes all foods and beverages served as part of the planned meals and snacks, but do not include a la carte items.

3. What details are you looking for on the menu?

   • The kind of food served – e.g., apple rather than “fruit”, carrot sticks rather than “vegetable”.

   • The form of the fruit or vegetable served – Was it peeled? Raw, canned, or cooked from fresh or frozen?

   • For canned fruit – was it packed in water, juice, or syrup? If syrup, what kind was it – heavy, light, extra light?

   • Whether or not the breads, rolls, pasta or other grains were 100% whole grain, whole grain-rich or enriched products.

• Was the milk plain or flavored? Regular (whole), Reduced fat (2%), Low fat (1%), Fat free (Skim)?

• Were the meat or meat alternates (e.g., cheese, eggs, beans, nuts, yogurt) regular, lean, lowfat?

• The brand name of all products, when possible.

4. What are whole grain, whole grain-rich, enriched and fortified products?

   • Whole grain products are those that contain only whole grain ingredients.

   • Whole grain-rich products contain at least 50 percent of whole grains; the ingredients on the label lists a while grain as the primary ingredient (i.e., the first ingredient). You may also find that the product label contains information about whether or not the item is whole grain or whole grain-rich.

   • Enriched products contain less than 50 percent whole grains; the primary grain ingredient is enriched flour or cereal.

   • Fortified cereals are ready-to-eat or cooked products containing added vitamins and/or minerals in addition to those needed for enrichment.

5. What type of follow-up information will you need?

   • We will review each menu for food details. If we need clarification, we will send a Menu Survey Follow-up Report within two weeks with questions about the items where we need more detail. We will ask you to complete the form with the additional details and return the form to us as an email attachment, upload it to a secure FTP site, fax, drop it in the mail, or you may request that we telephone you to obtain the details.

   • We will review the returned forms and may email you or schedule a telephone call to obtain any missing details, if needed.

6. Whom should you contact if you have questions?

   • If you have any questions about this survey, please contact the SFSP-NS team at XXX-XXX-XXXX.

1 The person responsible for meal planning at the site.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Policy Support, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302 ATTN: PRA (0584-xxxx*). Do not return the completed form to this address.